Cyber Agency Resists Regulator Role as Bills Aim to Expand Power

High-profile cyberattacks on critical businesses like Colonial Pipeline Co. have lawmakers pushing for mandatory cyber incident reports that would boost the regulatory power of a three-year-old cyber agency—a role the agency is reluctant to inherit.

The recent surge in cyber and ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure operators ranging from software providers to meat-processing plants has spurred Congress and the Biden administration to increase the cyber protections of certain privately-owned industry sectors essential to the country’s security, health, and safety. Just this week, the administration and allied countries arrested individuals tied to a Russian-linked ransomware group that attacked the U.S. earlier ...